Presenting the Good News—Caring for the Sheeplike Ones
1 When a shepherd locates a lost sheep hurt and hungry, he does not leave it unattended, content simply that he knows where it is. He gives it tender personal care, providing it with food and water just as soon as possible. Our loving concern for those we meet in the house-to-house work and who have shown interest will move us to care for them just as diligently.
2 We have invested much time and effort in patiently calling at each home to present the good news, tactfully overcoming the objections of some, enduring abuse from others, and then happily finding some interest, perhaps placing some literature. Now what should be done about it?
3 It is proper to view things as Jehovah does. “He does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9) Thus when somebody shows any interest at all in the truth, our concern for him ought to be immediately stimulated and our minds ought to begin to formulate plans for developing that interest.
4 When we look at matters in this way we begin to appreciate just how many opportunities for caring for sheeplike ones are open to us because of the Watchtower campaign. When someone subscribes we arrange to deliver the current issues until the magazines begin to arrive through the mail. Delivering these single issues should never be looked upon as unimportant, routine work, but, rather, as an outstanding opportunity to build on the interest found and to care for potential praisers of Jehovah.
5 On the initial call you may find it well to make use of one of the booklets that you placed with the householder. For example, if the “Good News” booklet was placed, you can show the householder that it has been designed so that one may use it to study the Bible. You could select a topic such as “The True God” (page 5) and refer to the question on paragraph six to help the householder to see that to know the true God we must recognize his name. We can then encourage the householder to look up the scripture at Psalm 83:18 in his own Bible. If sufficient interest is generated, you can go ahead and demonstrate the study arrangement. After this, another feeding program can be arranged for at a definite time convenient to you both.
6 If a study is not started on the initial call, we still should bear in mind calling back to develop the interest. It is true that we do not always do what we know to be in the best interests of the sheeplike ones. Time slips by and we may overlook calling back. Perhaps we overlook the opportunity to deliver the single issues until the mailman makes the delivery. Finally you receive an expiration notice from the Society and realize that you should have called back on that subscriber long ago. It makes one think, doesn’t it? This would be a good time to make a self-appraisal and then to be certain that we are not letting some sheeplike one wander about in this system of things uncared for.
7 What a privilege Jehovah extends to us! Right-hearted ones will show that spark of interest that our training has helped us to recognize. Would fellow workers with God willingly abandon such a one? No. Rather, doing things in Jehovah’s way, we will begin thinking immediately in terms of caring for those of the right heart condition just as a shepherd cares for a lost sheep.